What will YOU bring to the Table?

Friday

Apr 12, 2013 at 4:15 AM

What Will You Bring to the Table? is an initiative to mobilize youth from across the country to address child hunger in the U.S.

By Penny Beeman

What Will You Bring to the Table? is an initiative to mobilize youth from across the country to address child hunger in the U.S. by gathering around tables to create service projects that raise awareness and bring collective action to this critical issue. The goal is to engage 300,000 kids and teens in raising 1 million meals for children experiencing hunger in the United States.

There are nearly 17 million kids in the United States who encounter hunger at any given time throughout the year. One in five don't know where their next meal is coming from.

What Will You Bring to the Table? is powered by generationOn, the youth service enterprise of Points of Light.

Ionia Kids Club members in partnership with the Community Food Network are asking the community this very important question! The facts about Hunger Issues effecting our area are clear:

1 in 5 kids are not sure where their next meal is coming from.Often families with 1 parent working full time must choose between paying for health concerns or paying for food.It is cheaper to buy a box of mac and cheese then it is to provide healthy fruits and veggies for a family struggling to have enough food to eat.3 out of 5 teachers see kids who come to school hungry every day!The Community Food Network works to support community-grown food sources and related distribution systems in order to increase access to locally grown, fresh produce and promote it's use through educational opportunities within the community.

The Ionia Kids Club supports this mission by working with the Washington St Community Garden. Each year youth decide on a theme for the garden, work together to plant and harvest the garden, and enjoy a community meal from the garden. This year's theme will be soup! This is the fourth year for the Washington St Garden and Kids Club members have helped with many food drives along the way. But this year the focus is on soup because it is a simple way to feed many people with healthy veggies at a low cost. Many people in our community have never HAD to eat at a soup kitchen. And in reality our soup kitchens serve more just soup. But still the name "Soup Kitchen" comes from a time when most people in America suffered from Food Insecurity. A time when you could only get by because neighbors were helping neighbors. A time when kids ate first because there may not have been enough food for everyone. Times have changed! And it is amazing to here that there are still kids struggling with having enough food to eat. Studies show that Americans throw away nearly half of the food that is purchased. So why do we have kids who are hungry? And what can YOU do to help? Here are a few ideas to get you started:

VOLUNTEER - give a little of your time helping a community garden, food pantry, or with a food drive.

DONATE - Several organizations hold small food drives all year long. (Kids Club Members are collecting Peanut Butter and Jelly right now!) Each can that you donate adds to the bigger picture and helps to support local pantries.

SHARE - Invite a family that is struggling to join you for dinner one night. Do you find that you buy a bag of apples or bunch of bananas only to have some go bad? Look around your neighborhood for a child that might be struggling and ask their parent if you can give them an afternoon snack each day after school.

TEACH - share your love for gardening, cooking, canning, etc with a young mom or teen that wants to learn.

Together WE can make a difference in the lives of the children in our community! No one person can change the world, but together WE can make a difference. What will YOU bring to the Table? What can YOU do to END Hunger?

Learn more at www.WhatWillYouBringtotheTable.org.

On April 11, Kids Club members gathered to decorate 12 tablecloths with the message, "What will you bring to the table?" Tablecloths will be passed out to Community Food Network partners where they can be displayed at special events in community gardens, food pantries, and partner locations. Each time someone makes a donation or volunteers, their name can be added to the tablecloth!

From April 11 to May 16, Kids Club members will be holding their Peanut Butter & Jam Slam. Donations can be dropped off at the First Christian Church on Thursday afternoons from 2:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. For each 10 jars collected, youth will be able to enter for a chance to win $4,000 in scholarships!

On May 18, the Community Food Network will be hosting their first-ever Hunger EXPO at the Ionia Fair Grounds in partnership with the MSU Extension 4-H Day. Learn about local food pantries, gardens and other hunger resources by attending this event!

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PENNY BEEMAN, a member of the Ionia County Peace Community, works with volunteers in many United Way-supported projects. As coordinator for the Ionia Kids Club, Penny reaches out to teens, giving them a chance to Do Something GREAT in their Community! Her favorite MLK quote and the Kids Club motto: "EVERYBODY can be GREAT! Because EVERYBODY can VOLUNTEER!" www.ioniakidsclub.org

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